They compare him with Dibu Martínez -for his personality- and with Esteban Andrada -for his physique-, but his references in the position are Franco Armani, from River, and Guido Herrera, from Talleres de Córdoba. Leandro Brey started in Racing as a central defender, but the lack of opportunities led him to take other paths. In 2021 he broke into Los Andes, in 2022 he was a two-time champion with the Boca Reserve, and this Sunday, with just 45 minutes played as a professional, he received the ovation of the entire Bombonera. In a matter of days, He went from not adding minutes even in Reserve to playing the hottest section of the classic with Racing and feel the support of the fans like never before. Now with Sergio Romero y Javier Garcia On the sidelines due to injury, the 21-year-old goalkeeper, who has just achieved passage to the Paris Olympic Games with Javier Mascherano’s Under 23 National Team, awaits the opportunity to save for the first time since the start this Sunday against Estudiantes, in La Plata, in another key match in the fight for the League Cup. Will it be given?
On Friday of last week, two days after the defeat against Unión in Santa Fe, Boca reported that Romero suffers from “inflammation” in the Achilles tendon in his left foot. The club did not give details about Chiquito’s recovery times, although the former Sampdoria and Manchester United would have to about a month of inactivity. Consequently, Romero was not part of the list against Racing and his lr was occupied by Javier García, who had not officially saved since October 28, 2023, in the 0 to 0 against Estudiantes that marked the farewell of Xeneize de la Bombonera before the final of the Copa Libertadores.
But fate for Brey seemed to be written. At 22 minutes into the second half, García grabbed his left calf after catching a ball high up and was left lying on the grass. He tried to continue, but to no avail. Brey quickly put on his gloves, listened to Diego Martínez’s instructions and entered the field of play amidst a torrent of applause. He was the player the fans wanted to see. With the game 3-2, Leandro had little work. He took down some crosses and was confident up and down. Enough for his last name to become a trend again on With Chiquito ruled out and after knowing García’s medical report, Brey is already beginning to look forward to his debut as a starter with the blue and gold jumper.
From front to back
Although few remember it, Leandro Brey had already had his professional baptism in Boca on April 12, 2022, when he replaced Agustín Rossi – injured in an adductor – at halftime of the 2-0 victory over Always Ready, in the group zone of the Copa Libertadores. That time Brey was not required either, although at 19 years, six months and 20 days he became one of the youngest goalkeepers to debut for the club. After the arrival of Romero, Brey went down to Reserve and won two titles under the technical leadership of Mariano Herrón: the LPF Tournament and the 2022 Champions Trophy. He stood out with his level and aroused praise from all over the Boca World. “The little guy is going to be the goalkeeper of our club, he is on his way to being the owner of the goal. He learned from Agustín Rossi, he is learning from García and Romero. He likes to train, he is very serious, he seems like a bigger person. Having played in promotion gives him an advantage. I have no doubt that He is going to be Boca’s goalkeeper for many years“He is a great goalkeeper,” said Juan Román Riquelme in January 2023.
However, what Little is known about Brey is his past as a field footballer, more precisely as the first central marker. Owner of an enviable height (today he measures 1.91 meters), he began his path as a defender in Racing, where he became champion of a Children’s Soccer World Cup held at the Tita venue. “Brey came to join the Racing mutual team, a kind of little soccer school that stopped working a while ago due to lack of space,” they told THE NATION from the Racing Youth Football staff. In one of the photos that illustrate this article you can see Brey posing next to the 2002 Category of the Academy, with the light blue and white shirt No. 16 and accompanied, among other adults, by Adrián “el Oso” Fernández, historical leader of the Amateur football of the club.
“Because he was so tall, the technicians put him at 2. We shared many years in Racing and then life took us on different paths. He changed clubs and I left in Pre-Novena,” adds Ignacio García, goalkeeper of the 2022 mutual team who today guards the fence of the Racing futsal team. Brey, for his part, ended up in Los Andes, a club from which he would be released in the Ninth Division and to which he would return some time later in search of revenge.
Until then, Brey played as a defender in the Milrayitas minor categories and as a goalkeeper and even central steering wheel on his baby soccer team. And although his desire was to succeed as a field player, his family and friends convinced him to change positions. This is how Brey returned to Los Andes, where he passed the test as a goalkeeper and was immediately signed. From there everything escalated at a dizzying pace in the life of the Villa Albertina native: in 2019 he was distinguished by the AFA as the best youth football player of his club; In 2020 he signed his first professional contract with the Lomas de Zamora team, and on March 6, 2021 he debuted in the first team in a 0-0 home win against Argentino de Quilmes, for the first round of the B Metropolitana. Goalkeeper Federico Díaz saw red at 15 minutes into the first half, Brey replaced him in goal (he came on in place of Ulises Ortegoza, now a Talleres de Córdoba midfielder), and he never left again. In Los Andes he played 34 games, 21 goals were scored, he saved three penalties and recorded 17 clean sheets, the same amount as in his first year in the Boca Reserve (out of 37 games).
“He is an archer who always responded to us,” he tells THE NATION Sebastián Salomón, former midfielder and coach of Lanús who gave Brey his debut with the Los Andes diver. “I compare it to Dibu Martínez for its personality and the security it provides. Before his second game in Primera I told him that the goalkeepers of big teams were those who win games. Those who get it little, maybe two or three times a game, and keep a clean sheet. He was that biotype of player and as a boy you could already tell that he was going to go very far,” adds Turco, current coach of Tristán Suárez. In February 2022, Boca paid $450,000 for 90% of Brey’s transfer and signed a five-year contract..
At the end of the funnel
Although Brey is called to be “the goalkeeper of the future”, the truth is that in recent times he has not obtained the desired continuity and has not even managed to save regularly in the Reserve team. By decision of the club, Brey became a stable member of the first division squad, while the third division goal was in the hands of Sebastián Díaz Robles, hero of the penalty shootout against AZ Alkmaar that consecrated Boca to the Intercontinental Sub 20 2023. Brey became “big” for Reserve and “small” for First. Riquelme’s idea is to continue accumulating experience with Romero and Javi García and arrive as well prepared as possible when replacing them in the line of succession. Given this situation, several top Argentine clubs tried to take the 21-year-old goalkeeper on loan, especially after the renewal of Javier García’s contract until December 2024. The youth player was even observed by scouts from several countries. Europe during the Under 23 Olympic Qualifiers held in Venezuela, although their performance was not as expected.
With Chiquito ruled out and the confirmation that García suffers from a contracture in his left calf, Brey is already beginning to look forward to his debut as a starter with the blue and gold jersey.
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